Style

Custom Cobbling

Each week, Vanity Fair’s fashion editors pick the best from what’s in stores, from high to low. Today, Fashion Market Director Michael Carl shares his picks. Follow Michael on Twitter at @carlscrush.

They say you can tell a lot by a man’s shoes. I don’t know who “they” are, but “they” are very right. Of course, they also say you can always change a man’s shoes if you don’t like them, but you’re still stuck with the man who decided to buy those shoes in the first place. And what is that man-shoe combination trying to tell you? Square-toed shoes say, “The 90s were everything.” Birkenstocks say, “The Pacific Northwest is everything.” And Keds with no laces say, “Hey, girl.”

It’s time to start controlling what your footwear says about you. Here are some made-to-order and even bespoke shoes that will let you express yourself through shoes. Not familiar with the difference between bespoke and made-to-order? Sigh. I’ll take off my bitchy fashion hat for a moment to explain: Made-to-order is extreme customization—when a customer takes an existing style and selects the color, materials, and details. Bespoke is when an item is made from scratch to a buyer’s specification. Measurements are taken, and a pattern is then cut, tailored to fit, and personalized. The term is generally applied to men’s tailored clothing. Bespoke items, like haute couture, often require several fittings and sometimes even sketches. It is a process so involved that your tailor—or in this case, your cobbler—will likely be your new best friend by the end.

After reading this piece you will have no excuse to be square—and especially square-toed. (I love referring to my column as a “piece.” It’s as though I’m writing about something important, like the financial crisis in Europe or Jessica Simpson’s new baby.) I have to concede that most of these shoes are on the expensive side, but these are shoes that, with proper care, you will literally have for life.

Driving Moc

The Tod’s Gommio is arguably the chicest shoe ever made. Going to Capri, the South of France, or the Hamptons? If you are able to go an hour without seeing one elegant person wearing a driving moc, I will eat a bagel. At this point, Tod’s is more that just a shoe brand; it’s a lifestyle. And that lifestyle is a super-chic one, with expensive cars and boats. So why wouldn’t they offer a way to customize your moccasins? The catch is that they only come in croc or python. Sorry, PETA, but these animals are super-scary and I would rather see one as a shoe than one sneaking up on me.

Scribe

Bally Switzerland has just announced the Scribe made-to-measure shoe, and it is absolutely fantastic. I love the classic brown wing-tip shoe here, but there are many styles to choose from. The process takes multiple fittings and six to eight weeks to make, but it’s well worth it. You can choose from different skins, colors, and even buckles. The Scribe is Bally’s highest-end shoe and is named after the Scribe hotel in Paris, an icon of luxury. Isn’t that what we want our shoe to say about us—“I like luxury”? Sure beats, “I like to smoke pot in the parking lot.” (Looking at you, Tevas.)

Bally Switzerland Scribe Wing-Tip Shoe.$1,695; available upon request at Bally’s Madison Avenue store (212-751-9082) as well as at bally.com.

Cap-toe

This is the quintessential shoe for the office. If you wear business formal for work every day, you want to wear a cap-toe. Not only are these Johnston & Murphy shoes classic and made in the U.S.A.—Nashville, to be exact—they are also amazingly comfortable. The Custom Select program offers 10 styles to choose from in three available colors, each of which will be personalized with your name on the insole and on the cedar shoe tree that it’s packaged with. Each customizable pair takes five to seven weeks to make, and for just $475 you’ll end up with the perfect fit. No need to break these in.

Derby

Berluti is world-renowned for its bespoke shoes—hand-cut, hand-sewn, and hand-burnished. It is the ultimate in luxury. Berluti has been a cult obsession of shoe aficionados for years and is now backed by powerhouse LVMH. Owning a pair of these shoes is like being part of a small, exclusive club that very few people know about. If you want to impress the most jaded, bitchy fashionista, this is the shoe for you. (Spoiler alert: I’m not easily impressed.)

Evening Shoe

John Lobb is based in Paris and is, quite frankly, the be-all and end-all of bespoke shoes. Make no mistake, John Lobb makes footwear for men’s men. This evening shoe is the perfect match for your super-slick James Bond tuxedo. So if you are the type of guy who wants his martini shaken not stirred, and leads with his last name, this one’s for you. Making sure that you are the most dapper guy at the party is done through a process of measurements and fittings, and it will take up to a year to deliver. Yes, I said a year. I told you, and this shoe is no joke. Ever seen James Bond laugh?

John Lobb bespoke evening shoe.Starting at $7,650; contact John Lobb’s New York boutique (800 Madison Avenue; 212-888-9797) for more information.

Tasseled Loafer

For dandies and neo-preppies everywhere. This is a thing, and like it or not, it’s not going anywhere soon. Not as long as Michael Bastian is designing clothes, at least. These Church’s loafers can be made in leather or suede and take approximately 16 weeks to craft, just in time for fashion week. Or your fantasy-football draft.

Driving Moc

The Tod’s Gommio is arguably the chicest shoe ever made. Going to Capri, the South of France, or the Hamptons? If you are able to go an hour without seeing one elegant person wearing a driving moc, I will eat a bagel. At this point, Tod’s is more that just a shoe brand; it’s a lifestyle. And that lifestyle is a super-chic one, with expensive cars and boats. So why wouldn’t they offer a way to customize your moccasins? The catch is that they only come in croc or python. Sorry, PETA, but these animals are super-scary and I would rather see one as a shoe than one sneaking up on me.

Scribe

Bally Switzerland has just announced the Scribe made-to-measure shoe, and it is absolutely fantastic. I love the classic brown wing-tip shoe here, but there are many styles to choose from. The process takes multiple fittings and six to eight weeks to make, but it’s well worth it. You can choose from different skins, colors, and even buckles. The Scribe is Bally’s highest-end shoe and is named after the Scribe hotel in Paris, an icon of luxury. Isn’t that what we want our shoe to say about us—“I like luxury”? Sure beats, “I like to smoke pot in the parking lot.” (Looking at you, Tevas.)

Bally Switzerland Scribe Wing-Tip Shoe.$1,695; available upon request at Bally’s Madison Avenue store (212-751-9082) as well as at bally.com.

Cap-toe

This is the quintessential shoe for the office. If you wear business formal for work every day, you want to wear a cap-toe. Not only are these Johnston & Murphy shoes classic and made in the U.S.A.—Nashville, to be exact—they are also amazingly comfortable. The Custom Select program offers 10 styles to choose from in three available colors, each of which will be personalized with your name on the insole and on the cedar shoe tree that it’s packaged with. Each customizable pair takes five to seven weeks to make, and for just $475 you’ll end up with the perfect fit. No need to break these in.

Derby

Berluti is world-renowned for its bespoke shoes—hand-cut, hand-sewn, and hand-burnished. It is the ultimate in luxury. Berluti has been a cult obsession of shoe aficionados for years and is now backed by powerhouse LVMH. Owning a pair of these shoes is like being part of a small, exclusive club that very few people know about. If you want to impress the most jaded, bitchy fashionista, this is the shoe for you. (Spoiler alert: I’m not easily impressed.)

Evening Shoe

John Lobb is based in Paris and is, quite frankly, the be-all and end-all of bespoke shoes. Make no mistake, John Lobb makes footwear for men’s men. This evening shoe is the perfect match for your super-slick James Bond tuxedo. So if you are the type of guy who wants his martini shaken not stirred, and leads with his last name, this one’s for you. Making sure that you are the most dapper guy at the party is done through a process of measurements and fittings, and it will take up to a year to deliver. Yes, I said a year. I told you, and this shoe is no joke. Ever seen James Bond laugh?

John Lobb bespoke evening shoe.Starting at $7,650; contact John Lobb’s New York boutique (800 Madison Avenue; 212-888-9797) for more information.

Tasseled Loafer

For dandies and neo-preppies everywhere. This is a thing, and like it or not, it’s not going anywhere soon. Not as long as Michael Bastian is designing clothes, at least. These Church’s loafers can be made in leather or suede and take approximately 16 weeks to craft, just in time for fashion week. Or your fantasy-football draft.